Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

यस्तु जागरणं रात्रौ कुर्याद्भक्तिसमन्वितः । निमिषेनिमिषे राजन्नश्वमेधफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

yastu jāgaraṇaṃ rātrau kuryādbhaktisamanvitaḥ | nimiṣenimiṣe rājannaśvamedhaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

Wer jedoch in der Nacht in hingebungsvoller Andacht wacht, o König, erlangt in jedem Augenblick, Augenblick um Augenblick, die Frucht des Aśvamedha-Opfers.

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (relative pronoun), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• तु: but; indeed
• तु: सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle/conjunction), विरोध/विशेषार्थ (contrast/emphasis)

• जागरणम्: vigil
• जागरणम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जागरण (प्रातिपदिक; √जागृ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: अधिकरण (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• कुर्यात्: should do
• कुर्यात्: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• भक्ति-समन्वितः: endowed with devotion
• भक्ति-समन्वितः: विशेषण (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + समन्वित (कृदन्त; सम् + अनु + √इ/√वि?; प्रचलित ‘समन्वित’ = ‘endowed’)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: भक्त्या समन्वितः; पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); भूतकृदन्त (past participle)

• निमिषे: in a moment
• निमिषे: अधिकरण (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निमिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• निमिषे: in each moment
• निमिषे: अधिकरण (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निमिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); पुनरुक्ति (reduplication for distributive sense)

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: सम्बोधन (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अश्वमेध-फलम्: the fruit of the Aśvamedha sacrifice
• अश्वमेध-फलम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक; अश्व + मेध) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: अश्वमेधस्य फलम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

An unnamed Purāṇic narrator addressing a king (rājan)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājan (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A night-long vigil in Dvārakā: devotees singing before Viṣṇu; above, a symbolic vision of an Aśvamedha horse and sacrificial paraphernalia dissolving into rays from the deity, showing that each moment of bhakti-vigil equals that grand sacrifice.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional vigilance is exalted as supremely efficacious—equated repeatedly with the highest Vedic sacrifice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, through the praise of Kṛṣṇa’s beloved vigil.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Stay awake at night in devotion (bhakti) as a vrata; its merit is said to accrue continuously.